BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand’s coup-installed Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has received his highly coveted White House date, after the White House confirmed late Monday that President Trump will host the former army chief in the Oval Office Oct. 3.
The news met with mixed reaction here, with the government saying the invitation confirms the prestige and legitimacy of the government and its new constitution, while opposition parties and rights organizations said it could leave them fearful, muzzled and without a strong leader.
“Prayuth and the generals crave legitimacy, particularly from the U.S. and E.U. who have criticized revolving-door coups and governments
in Thailand over the past 10 years,” Paul Quaglia, a former C.I.A. officer in Bangkok, said in an interview.
Human Rights Watch denounced the invitation, charging that Mr. Trump has “shamelessly thrown human rights considerations out the window.”
Mr. Trump had previously extended the invitation to Mr. Prayuth in a phone call in April. The two leader will discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” the White House said in its statement.
Mr. Prayuth will spend three days in the U.S. from Oct. 2-4, Thailand’s foreign ministry confirmed. He will be accompanied by Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon, who is also deputy prime minister, plus Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and other government and private sector officials.
Speaking to reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday, Mr. Prayuth said the two leaders would discuss “security, trade and investment, and regional problems,” adding that he expected the talks to be held in a “cordial climate,” according to the Agence France-Presse news service.
Mr. Trump has also invited controversial Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, but the dates for that visit have not been officially announced.
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